Flight Safety Information November 27, 2014 - No. 241 In This Issue Malaysia Airlines MH370's Jet Engines Are Likely Intact: Officials Laos air crash: airline to release findings into disaster that killed 49 people OHIO COLLEGE STUDENTS TO GET $5M DRONE ARENA FOR AVIATION STUDIES University aircraft site spreads its wings Aircraft forced to make emergency landing after drunken groom threatens crew Elderly man stopped for carrying loaded gun at La Guardia airport PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Supersonic jets can fly from New York to L.A. in 2.5 hours (or less) AIRCON3 - Pre-Conference Workshop GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Pilot Health Survey Upcoming Events Malaysia Airlines MH370's Jet Engines Are Likely Intact: Officials Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370's engines are likely intact on the ocean floor and could play a key role in locating the missing jetliner, officials said Wednesday. Three specialized search ships have mapped 65,600 square miles of seabed - an area about the size of Florida - without finding a trace of the aircraft that vanished almost nine months ago. Investigators have now calibrated their search equipment to the specific size of the Boeing 777's giant turbofan engines - which are the largest of any commercial airliner. "When we stipulated the requirements for the current search we thought about the smallest items that we would need to detect and we knew that the aircraft engines and the landing gear would remain relatively intact," Australian Transport Safety Bureau search coordinator Peter Foley told a press conference in Canberra. "The other possibility of course, if the aircraft is relatively intact, is we may see something a bit more complete in terms of the structure of the aircraft." The theory is based on Air France Flight 447. Its debris was discovered two years after it crashed in the Atlantic Ocean in November 2009. The doomed Airbus A330's engines were of a similar size to the 777. http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/missing-jet/malaysia-airlines-mh370s-jet-engines-are- likely-intact-officials-n256481 Back to Top Laos air crash: airline to release findings into disaster that killed 49 people Lao Airlines twin turboprop aircraft crashed into the Mekong river during severe weather in October last year Lao Airlines is set to release the findings from an investigation into a plane crash that killed 49 people in 2013. The Lao Airlines ATR 7620 twin turboprop aircraft crashed into the Mekong river during severe weather on 16 October 2013 while it was approaching Pakse airport in the province of Champasak. The black box data recorders were recovered from the French-Italian-made plane and taken to Europe for the formal investigation into the crash. The crash killed 17 people from Laos as well as seven French, six Australian, five Thai, three South Koreans, and two Vietnamese passengers. Individuals from China, Myanmar, Taiwan, and an American also died, and the pilot was Cambodian. A memorial ceremony for the Laotians was marked in early October, but Lao government officials have also extended invitations to relatives of the foreign victims to attend a service on Friday. Among the Australians killed was Sydney tax agent Gavin Rhodes, his wife Phoumalaysy (Lea), their daughter and a baby boy. The other Australian victims were 42-year-old aid worker Michael Creighton, and his father, Gordon Creighton, who had been visiting his son in Laos. The strong winds linked to a tropical typhoon hit the aircraft as it descended to the airport. It crashed seven kilometres from its destination. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/27/laos-air-crash-airline-to-release-findings- into-disaster-that-killed-49-people Back to Top OHIO COLLEGE STUDENTS TO GET $5M DRONE ARENA FOR AVIATION STUDIES With the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) working on an updated set of rules for the commercial operation of drones in U.S. airspace, getting permission to fly the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is certain to become a whole lot more complicated. In an effort to keep several steps ahead of the changing rulebook, a college in Dayton, Ohio is preparing to build a huge drone arena so students enrolled in UAV- and aviation-related programs can test their flying machines without having to worry about FAA restrictions, or bad weather, for that matter. The 12-meter-high pavilion, which will be built at a cost of about $5 million, will provide students at Sinclair Community College with a large enclosed space for their drone-based coursework. Deb Norris, the college's vice president for workforce development and corporate services, said the new facility will give students access to resources such as "aviation and flight simulators, avionics, engine labs, and a wind tunnel." If the project proceeds to plan, it should have its first flying machines buzzing about the place by early 2016, the college told the Associated Press. New FAA proposals On Monday, the Wall Street Journal said that in the coming weeks the FAA is expected to announce a new set of proposals governing the commercial operation of drones. The new regulations, which will apply to all UAVs weighing less than 55 pounds, are expected to stipulate that commercial operators will have to keep their drones below 400 feet and always within sight, with flights only allowed to take place during daylight hours. Most significant of all, however, is the claim by the Journal's unnamed source that all commercial drone operators will have to have a pilot's license, a rule that's likely to upset everyone from farmers keen to use the machines for monitoring crops to real estate agents interested in using them to capture aerial imagery of properties. The proposals will be followed by a public comment phase for feedback, with a final set of rules not expected to be implemented for at least another year. http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/ohio-college-students-to-get-drone-arena-for- aviation-studies/#ixzz3KH6dAfv5 Back to Top University aircraft site spreads its wings The University of Maryland Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site in California received a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly the Talon 240, designed and manufactured by UAV Solutions Inc. of Jessup. The authorization resulted from the first use of Maryland's airworthiness process, the only known university airworthiness process that is modeled after the U.S. Navy's rigorous standards for ensuring the safety and reliability of its manned and unmanned aircraft, according to a UM news release. "This flight authorization is significant because it builds on the existing relationship between the University of Maryland and the Navy, and applies our mutually disciplined research approaches to the cutting edge of civil and commercial unmanned aviation," Darryll Pines, Farvardin professor and dean of the university's A. James Clark School of Engineering, said in the release. With a 20-foot wingspan, the Talon 240 can fly for up to 3 1/2 hours. The Talon was designed for use by military and universities needing a proven platform to conduct operations and research. Del. John Bohanan (D-St. Mary's) highlighted what the COA means for Maryland. "This FAA stamp of approval is the federal government's recognition of our airspace integration efforts, which are part of our region's autonomous research initiative - a key to our economic growth and diversification," Bohanan said in the release. The test site will conduct its inaugural research flight using the Talon 240 in Somerset County in December. Go to www.uas-test.umd.edu or call 240-309-4UAS. The test site is a leader in unmanned systems research, development, testing and education. The test site leverages the capabilities of the people and infrastructure of Southern Maryland and the University System of Maryland for technical and policy issues associated with UAS, according to the release. http://www.somdnews.com/ Back to Top Aircraft forced to make emergency landing after drunken groom Mohammed Khelya threatens crew on honeymoon flight to Cuba Mohammed Khelya told staff 'I'm going to kill you and I'm going to kill everyone after' as he tried to see his new wife who had changed seats to get away from him A British man bound for Cuba on honeymoon has instead started his married life alone in Bermuda after drunkenly threatening the flight crew and forcing an emergency landing, with his new wife continuing on without him. Mohammed Khelya, from Blackburn, Lancashire, had been drinking from a bottle of duty-free vodka before commencing an argument with his wife that led to him being handcuffed, taken to the rear of the aircraft and forcing its unscheduled landing in Bermuda, prosecutors said. Appearing on Tuesday at a court in Hamilton, Khelya pleaded guilty to being drunk on the aircraft and to threatening flight staff. The 22-year-old and his wife were among 311 passengers on board a Thomas Cook flight, which set out from Manchester International Airport earlier this week. Several hours into the flight, after his wife changed seats to get away from him, Khelya appealed unsuccessfully to a crew member to see her. "I'm going to kill you and I'm going to kill everyone after," Khelya told a crew member, prosecutors said, in an expletive-ridden tirade. As flight attendants moved a handcuffed Khelya to the back of the plane, he spat at other passengers, prosecutors said. Diverted to the L.F. Wade International Airport, the flight was greeted by police officers, who escorted Khelya off the plane. Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo fined Khelya $2,000 (£1,272) for being drunk on the aircraft and another $1,000 (£637) for his behaviour towards flight staff. Khelya is expected to fly home to Lancashire today. "I don't know how I'm going to forgive myself," he said in court on Tuesday. Referring to his bride, who is already thought to have returned home, he added: "I don't know how she's going to forgive me". http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/aircraft-forced-to-make-emergency- landing-after-drunken-groom-threatens-crew-on-honeymoon-flight-to-cuba-9883473.html Back to Top Elderly man stopped for carrying loaded gun at La Guardia airport A 94-year-old Brooklyn plumber tried to get past a La Guardia Airport security checkpoint with a loaded, "old school" .38 caliber revolver holstered on his belt for a flight to Palm Beach, Fla. A TSA screener spotted the geriatric's gat and alerted Port Authority cops, who vouchered it. The pistol-packing passenger has a valid NYPD-issued "carry permit" for the gun, but that authorization isn't valid in Florida, nor does it allow him circumvent TSA prohibitions barring him from carrying such a weapon onto a plane, a source explained. Even licensed guns have to be placed in locked boxes before they can be taken on flights and the owner of such a weapon must be legally entitled to possess it in the state they're visiting, the source added. "He legally owns the gun, but he can't take it onto an airplane under TSA rules," explained one PA official. Lisa Farbstein, a spokeswoman for the TSA, said the weapon had six rounds in it. The passenger caught another flight and will likely get his gun back at a later date, a PA official said. Meanwhile, another passenger traveling out of JFK Airport who was ready for war this Thanksgiving - only to find himself under arrest. TSA screeners spotted an arsenal of weaponry that could have subdued a large flock of turkeys in two of his checked bags - two crossbows; three starter pistols; two BB guns (one of them a rifle); a stun gun; a set of handcuffs and assorted bow arrows. The man, whose name was not immediately available, was arrested on weapons offenses. http://nypost.com/2014/11/26/elderly-man-stopped-for-carrying-loaded-gun-at-la-guardia- airport/ Back to Top Back to Top Supersonic jets can fly from New York to L.A. in 2.5 hours (or less) Lockheed supersonic jet An illustration of Lockheed's N+2 concept aircraft, one of many that may return supersonic service to passenger air travel. The super rich may soon be going supersonic. Over a decade after the Concorde made its last transatlantic flight, a number of companies are working on the next generation of supersonic passenger aircraft capable of speeds at least twice as fast as current commercial planes. These planes will likely first appear in the private and business jet market. It's the "corporate jets and the very rich who would value the speed and pay a high price," said Andrew Goldberg, CEO of Metropolis Group, an investment firm with expertise in the aerospace sector. At least two companies are currently working on such planes. Reno, Nevada, based Aerion is developing a $110 million, 12-passenger business jet capable of hitting Mach 1.6 -- or over 1,200 miles per hour. That's roughly twice as fast as the $65 million Gulfstream G650, and would cut the travel time between New York and London from seven hours to just over four. "There's a business case and a demand for this," said Jeff Miller, Aerion's head of marketing and communication. "People want to get places faster." aerion supersonic A rendering of Aerion's AS2 supersonic business jet. The company has deposits from dozens of customers and recently signed an agreement for technical assistance with Airbus -- the company that, in an earlier incarnation, built the Concorde. They hope to deliver the first plane in 2022. Boston-based Spike Aerospace is working on a similar plane that would also carry business passengers at a speed of Mach 1.6. The company boasts on its website that flying on the plane "will make any other jet feel like flying on a prop plane." These planes can succeed where the 1960s-era Concorde failed, said Miller, thanks to improvements in aerodynamics, engines and composite materials that will save fuel, and ultimately, money. They will also travel a bit slower than the Concorde to cut costs. But so far, they can only plan routes that travel mostly over water. The main obstacle to superfast air travel is the sonic boom -- the noise a plane makes when it goes supersonic. This boom is as loud as a thunder clap, and follows the plane the entire time it's exceeding the speed of sound. For this reason, supersonic flight has long been banned over most of the United States and many other countries. Looking further afield, both Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Boeing (BA) are working with NASA to lower the sonic boom. NASA believes it's making good progress (largely through aircraft design), and by sometime after 2022, it may be acceptable to exceed the speed of sound over land. That would put many more routes in play, and opens the door to potential commercial supersonic service. Lockheed has a plane on the drawing board -- the N+2 -- that also cruises at Mach 1.6 but is intended for the commercial airlines. It would cut the travel time from New York to Los Angeles from five hours to 2.5. These jets can cut your flight time in half This type of aircraft would still probably cater to the rich -- offering first class service (and prices) on just a handful of select routes. But eventually supersonic may reach the masses. Metropolis' Goldberg thinks that in the next 20 to 25 years, technology could progress to the point where high capacity, high-flying planes could travel at Mach 2 or more (over 1,500 mph) -- flying from New York to Beijing in 3.5 hours for not much more than the cost of a regular flight. The technology to go that fast certainly exists. Lockheed recently tested an unmanned aircraft -- the HTV-2 -- that hit Mach 20, or over 13,000 miles per hour. At that speed, the flight time between New York and Los Angeles would be 12 minutes. The speed record for a human is held by the astronauts aboard Apollo 10, who, unencumbered by the drag of the atmosphere, hit 24,791 miles per hour on the return trip from the moon. Kinda makes 1,200 miles per hour seem like a prop plane. http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/26/luxury/supersonic-jet/ Back to Top Pre-Conference Workshop: Thursday, January 15th: Investigations in support of Safety Management Systems (SMS): The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines SMS as "A systematic approach to managing safety, including the necessary organizational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures." Most Civil Aviation Authorities support the implementation of SMS in aviation training organizations and service providers. Many also include the provisions for a Safety Manager within those safety programs. This workshop will investigate the attributes of a supportive Safety Culture along with the competencies and skill-sets required of the Safety Manager to appropriately collect, analyze and take actions on safety information. The outcomes of this workshop will be assembled and distributed to participants in order for their consideration for inclusion into existing and future aviation programs and curricula. Workshop Leaders: Stewart Schreckengast, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Aviation Department, University of South Australia & Douglas Drury, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Aviation Department, University of South Australia are hosting. Free conference add on- but space is limited. Sponsored by the Robertson Safety Institute Registration Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear fellow pilots: By way of introduction, my name is Adrian Aliyuddin and I am currently pursuing my Masters of Science in Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and as part of my final assignment I need to conduct a research paper. I have chosen the topic of the interaction between airline pilots and ground-based operational control personnel from the airline, commonly known by several different titles such as, Operations Controller, Flight Dispatchers, Network Controllers or Duty Controllers. These personnel have the capability of sending messages to aircraft in flight and having pilots react to them. The topic of interest is the influence these ground-based personnel have on the decision-making of the pilots. In order to gather the data on this topic, I have set up a short survey in order to solicit feedback from the target audience. The survey should not take much more than 10 minutes to complete and only requires the participant to answer a number of questions in the survey. None of the survey questions are framed in a manner that could identify the participant and the data from this survey will be kept confidentially. There is also no obligation for you to complete this survey. The target audience is airline pilots who work in organizations that have the capability for messages from their ground-based personnel to reach the aircraft while in flight. If you meet the criteria of the target audience, you can access the survey using this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6CTH5WN I would like to thank you in advance for taking the time out to fill up this survey. Back to Top Pilot Health Survey Harvard School of Public Health/Department of Environmental Health Survey: Pilots are exposed to a multitude of occupational health hazards, including fatigue, respiratory symptoms, radiation exposure, and much more, on a daily basis. Noise exposure has been associated with increased fatigue, cardiovascular effects, adverse cognitive functioning, increased stress, and hearing loss. Crewmembers could have significant exposure during flights, leading to an increase in these effects and health issues. The impact of environmental noise, such as aircraft noise, where exposures are sustained over the entire flight has not been studied for airline pilots. Harvard School of Public Health has conducted a large survey of over 4000 flight attendants, and found higher rates of fatigue, headaches, and cardiovascular and other chronic diseases, compared to the general population, which may be due to exposure to noise and other environmental factors on the aircraft. Occupational noise in the aircraft is not regulated. As a result, exposure monitoring is rare and pilots are not aware of the increased fatigue and additional health issues related to noise exposure, especially over a given duration. This also includes exposure from preflight to all phases of flight. As such, airline pilots represent a potential high risk exposure group with respect to occupational noise during flight. U.S. airline pilots are also an aging population, with the mandatory retirement age now being increased from 60 years old to 65 years old. Age is a risk factor for hearing loss, as well as fatigue and other chronic conditions that are associated to noise exposure and age. Longer flight and duty times, also increase the fatigue and also additional chronic conditions associated with noise exposure. This survey would be the first conducted for airline pilots, and would evaluate noise health related effects, such as fatigue and additional chronic conditions. It would also be used to compare pilots against flight attendants and a greater male population versus female population, of flight attendants. The results of this survey would be of value in advancing the level of understanding of the impact of noise exposures in airline pilots, especially fatigue and the effects. The flight attendant survey was conducted in conjunction with the Association of Flight Attendants, the FAA sponsored National Air Transportation Center for Excellence in the Intermodal Transport Environment (RITE) and the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute. The Harvard School of Public Health sponsored the survey and analyzed the data. The questionnaires include detailed inquires relating to the crewmember's personal characteristics, work history, and health status. The potential association of noise exposure with fatigue and hearing loss, could have significant implications for the safety of air travel and crewmembers. Please find the website for the flight attendant survey: www.FAhealth.org. A similar website would be created and administered by Harvard for the pilot group. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. This survey would be administered electronically, at no cost , by Harvard School of Public Health. The data would be analyzed and each response is anonymous and the airline would also be de-identified for Harvard data. This important data can be used to address the issue of fatigue and the working environment. Key points: -This would be the first group of airline pilots participating in this Harvard survey and/or data collection -This survey and data collection can also be offered to other industry pilot groups. -This data will be of exceptional use to the pilot group. -You would be at the forefront of this industry research and could also lead to new developments . -There is no cost and workload is minimal (sending an email with survey/follow up communications). -Please contact Deborah Donnelly-McLay (UPS pilot/Harvard Faculty Research Assistant) for more information at ddonnelly@ipapilot.org or 561-537-0046 Back to Top Upcoming Events: 2014 Global FOD Prevention Conference Birds, Bolts, Budgets - Tracking the Dangers of Foreign Objects and What We Can Do About It Reagan National Airport 2 December 2014 www.stopfod.com ERAU UAS FUNDAMENTALS COURSE December 9 - 11, 2014 ERAU Daytona Beach Campus, FL www.daytonabeach.erau.edu/uas Event: "The Future of Regulation of SMS and QA" Symposium. Keynote: Mr. Martin Eley, Director General Transport Canada. Location: Coronado Resort Hotel @ Disney World, Orlando Florida. Date: Jan 4-6, 2015 info: http://www.dtiatlanta.com/symposium.html A3IR CON 2015 January 16-17, 2015 Phoenix, AZ http://commons.erau.edu/aircon/2015/ Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) NTSB Training Center, Ashburn, VA March 10-11, 2015 www.acsf.aero/symposium FAA Helicopter Safety Effort three-day safety forum April 21-23, 2015 Hurst, Texas eugene.trainor@faa.gov www.faahelisafety.org IS-BAO Workshop Information and Registration 2 - 3 Dec. 2014 Orlando, FL USA 6 - 7 Dec. 2014 Dubai, UAE 13 - 14 Jan. 2015 Baltimore, MD USA https://www.regonline.com/CalendarNET/EventCalendar.aspx?EventID=1592658&view=Month Curt Lewis